Mousetail Landing - a history of life along the river

The Native Americans

The Chickasaw tribes and their ancestors who lived in the areas near the Tennessee River left a rich cultural legacy.

Native peoples began to settle on river terraces during the archaic period. Between 3,000 and 900B.C. natives developed a rudimentary agriculture and their populations expanded to form villages.

The next stage of Tennessee pre-history, lasting almost 2,000 years is known as the Woodland period. This era saw the introduction of pottery, settled farming communities, the construction of burial mounds and well organized tribal agricultural societies.

The peak of prehistoric development occurred during the Mississippian period (900-1,600 A.D.). The erection of ceremonial temples, public structures, elaborate pottery styles and a wide variety of personal artifacts including jewelry were earmarks of these complex societies.

The clash of cultures between the Chickasaw and Europeans creating an emerging nation hastened the demise of this important part of Native American Culture.

The Early Settlers

The white man began to move into this area in the early 18th century. Following the Revolutionary war, there was an open push to move the frontier westward and establish new territory. The influx of settlers increased after January 7, 1806 when the Cherokee nation ceded to the United States their land between the Duck River and the Tennessee River South. Part of this land had also been purchased from the Chicashaw in 1805. Hunting, trapping, fishing and raising crops and livestock were essential to survival in this new territory.

"Buying essentials" at the East Perryville Store

This page is a partial record of monthly commerce transactions occurring during the year 1835 at the East Perryville Tennessee Store, illustrating items of importance that were purchased by locals. The Store was located in Perry County a few miles south of Mousetail Landing.

Cedar Grove Iron Furnace

The furnace was built around 1832 by Wallace Dixon and produced approximately 40 tons of pig iron each week. The Cedar Grove Furnace area was a self-contained village with a number of buildings including a company store, cabins, barns, black-smith shops and smoke houses. The iron industry was a very important part of the area’s economy during the 19th century. The furnace located on Cedar Creek in Perry County is the only remaining "double stack" furnace in the Western Highland Rim of Tennessee and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Flatboats & Steamboats

Flatboats and steamboats were the principal vehicle of commerce for early Tennessee.

From Territory to Counties

The above map drawn by John Melish shows Indian lands remaining in the southeast corner of Tennessee and west of the Tennessee River.  In December, 1807 Hickman County was created by the state legislature and it covered an area from Dickson County on the north to the Alabama line on the south. This territory was to become a primary source of land grants given to soldiers of the Revolutionary War and then later to the soldiers of the War of 1812. Perry County was created in 1819 in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819), a naval officer and hero of the War of 1812. Decatur County was created in 1845 from Perry County and named in honor of Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), an American Naval Officer who won fame in the war with Tripoli in 1804, in the War of 1812, and the Algerine War in 1815.

Mousetail Landing, What’s in a name?

This area is noted for the intriguing river folklore of early Indian settlements, Civil War days and the once prominent river boat era.. In the early 19th century, the industries of the times included timber, iron manufacturing, and numerous leather tanneries located on the banks of the Tennessee River.  The tanneries were loaded with green animal hides, attracting infestations of mice. Tradition has it that Mousetail Landing received its name when one of the tanneries caught fire and burned during the Civil War era. The mice fleeing this burning tannery were so great in number that the area became known as Mousetail Landing. This valuable river port was the principal place for shipments of goods to and from St. Louis. Postal letters are still in exsistence today that bear the postmark of Mousetail Landing, Tennessee. The location of Mousetail Landing is just north of Paris Branch.

The Civil War Era

Up and down the Tennessee River, major battles were fought for control of this water way and the adjacent towns. A few miles south of here, an amphibious attack on Linden, Tennessee, occurred May 12, 1863. United States Navy gunboats ferried a force of Union Calvary men to the eastern shore of the Tennessee River. The Calvary attacked the town of Linden at dawn, surprising the residents and confederate forces. Forty prisoners, fifty horses and two wagons were captured and the Courthouse was burned. The amphibious attack signified a new tactic developed during the Civil War.

Houseboat

Houseboats were a way of life for some area families.

Mussel Boat

This long abandoned mussel boat is a symbol of a once thriving industry. "Musslin" was a way of life for many people living on the Tennessee river in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Peanuts

Peanut farming was an important part of the agricultural economy in the area, in addition to corn, soybeans and wheat.

Fishing

Fishing was first for survival to the early settlers along the Tennessee River. Later it became an important occupation and industry. These locals dressed in their "Sunday finest"